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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
medium-paced
Pride & Prejudice meets Clue - this satirical novel doesn't take itself too seriously & that's the beauty of it! Although I can appreciate the attempt of a Jane Austen-ish parody, I just couldn't get into it as much as I wanted to. As a story itself, it's alot of fun & I can totally see this as a movie! But as a book, sometimes I didn't get into it. Recommend if you love Jane Austen & murder mysteries!
fast-paced
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The concept of the book is delightful: a murder obsessed mystery fan seeks to solve crimes in Regency England!
The execution is… not great. The book is too precious, too self-aware of its conceits and not at all willing to commit to itself. Much like its heroine Beatrice Steele, the novel thinks too highly of itself and its conceit, spending far too much time patting itself on the back exclaiming how clever it is to actually commit to an emotionally satisfying ending.
Everyone in the book is not simply a pastiche or a trope, they’re all caricatures of tropes, and the narrative is too enamored of its own cleverness at telling everyone what tropes they are subverting to fully actualize characters as real people.
The closest we get to a real, 3D well rounded character is Beatrice, and even her only defining characteristic is “feminist true crime girlie in Regency cosplay” . Nobody in this book feels real, they all read like characters cards, and the entire plot reads like someone narrating their overenthusiastic game of Clue.
Even Beatrice and Drake’s detective work feels shambling. They lurch ineptly from one red herring to another, but all of their flailing detective work is played straight (the only thing that is given even a modicum of sincerity) and there is no acknowledgment of their failures or their ineptitude. Fire cleanses all sins, it would seem, including those of mismanaged evidence, shoddy deduction, and wild hunches, and the fact that they eventually get it right (plus the convenient demise of the murderer) means they get to pretend they did a great job.
The execution is… not great. The book is too precious, too self-aware of its conceits and not at all willing to commit to itself. Much like its heroine Beatrice Steele, the novel thinks too highly of itself and its conceit, spending far too much time patting itself on the back exclaiming how clever it is to actually commit to an emotionally satisfying ending.
Everyone in the book is not simply a pastiche or a trope, they’re all caricatures of tropes, and the narrative is too enamored of its own cleverness at telling everyone what tropes they are subverting to fully actualize characters as real people.
The closest we get to a real, 3D well rounded character is Beatrice, and even her only defining characteristic is “feminist true crime girlie in Regency cosplay” . Nobody in this book feels real, they all read like characters cards, and the entire plot reads like someone narrating their overenthusiastic game of Clue.
Even Beatrice and Drake’s detective work feels shambling. They lurch ineptly from one red herring to another, but all of their flailing detective work is played straight (the only thing that is given even a modicum of sincerity) and there is no acknowledgment of their failures or their ineptitude. Fire cleanses all sins, it would seem, including those of mismanaged evidence, shoddy deduction, and wild hunches, and the fact that they eventually get it right (plus the convenient demise of the murderer) means they get to pretend they did a great job.
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
One of the best books I have read. This story is for the girlies who played werewolves when they were kids. This is for people who like a bit of random humor or anti humor. It's a great mystery and wraps up all the endings it starts in a satisfying way. There are quirky characters who you can not forget and it's brilliant overall one of my new favourite books
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
This book was boring. I almost DNF’d it at 2 hours, but needed it for a challenge and had used an audible credit on it, so I powered through. Once the murder finally happened, it got a little more interesting, but I don’t think I’ve ever been bored while trying to solve a murder. There were a few surprising twists and unexpected side mysteries, which bumped this rating from 1 to 2 stars. But over all it was too drawn out and not enough drama. The best part of this book was the narrator Fiona Hampton. Her accents were delightful to listen too.
4.5 stars. A genre blender: cozy historical mystery with elements of romance. The exposition was longer than I expected and the pace was a little slow for the first half, but there was increasing action in the later parts of the book. I enjoyed the whimsical, satirical tone which at times bordered on pleasantly bizarre. There was an element of theatricality that required some suspension of disbelief, which I actually quite enjoyed. Overall I liked it.
It's a cozy mystery set in yesteryears. Beatrice is becoming one of my new favorite protagonists.
Book read: Audio (Libby) / Hardcover (Barnes & Noble)
Book read: Audio (Libby) / Hardcover (Barnes & Noble)